Writing a business-to-business proposal to a prospective client ranks right up there with having a root canal for most people. A necessary evil.  Something to be squeezed between the myriad of other demands of the day.  Something most people are never really confident they know how to do, so avoid doing when possible.

The secret is that a proposal, especially a proposal to sell professional services, must persuade to succeed.  This book published by the AICPA will give you the inside track on how to do business proposals right and win more than your ``fair" share.

Here's what's inside.  If you'd like to see some tips and ideas based on the book that you can use today, jump over to the Proposal Strategies page.

Winning Proposals: A Step-by-Step Guide
to the Proposal Process

Chapter 1 
Introduction
Advance Preparations
The Proposal Process

Chapter 2
The First Stages of the Proposal Process
Opportunity Knocks
Evaluate the Opportunity
Select the Proposal Team and Assign Duties
Research the Prospective Client
Make the Go/No-Go Decision

Chapter 3
Management Meetings and Site Visits
Attend Management Meetings
Conduct Site Visits
Getting the Most Out of a Meeting

Chapter 4
The ``Win" Strategy
Analyze the Information Gathered
Evaluate the Circumstances of a Reproposal
Define the Win Strategy
Communicate the Win Strategy

Chapter 5
The Proposal Document
Parts of the Proposal Document
Fee Presentation in the Proposal Document
Draft the Proposal Document
Select the Publication Format

Chapter 6
The Oral Presentation
Parts of the Oral Presentation
Organize the Oral Presentation
Perfect the Oral Presentation

Chapter 7
After the Oral Presentation
Follow-Up with Prospective Clients
Conduct a Postmortem

Appendices
Sample Requests for Proposals
Sources for Prospective Client Research
Sample Proposal Documents
Sample Fee Presentations
Sample Questions from Oral Presentations
 

Winning Proposals: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Proposal Process by Kaye Vivian, ABC. 
(product #090390)  Price: $30.00 (US)

Available for purchase from: The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in New York City. 

Page last updated: January 4, 1999